


Full Stop

by Genie60



Series: Poldark Series 2- Dribs and Drabs [24]
Category: Poldark (TV 2015)
Genre: Coitus Interruptus, F/M, First Love, Marriage, VBT, real love, s2 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 14:17:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10573017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Genie60/pseuds/Genie60
Summary: What if Demelza followed Ross to Trenwith that night in Episode 8?  And she stopped it before Ross did something idiotic.  Oh and she gave Elizabeth a piece of her mind among other things.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing. It's all Winston and Debbie's fault

Demelza saw Ross’s horse skittishly standing outside the front doors of Trenwith.   _He must have been in haste to see Elizabeth to not tie up Darkie_ she thought bitterly as she approached the steed.  Maneuvering her own horse to come beside his, she tried to steady the breath that was coming in gasps; a combination of an adrenaline rush and the exertion of the ride from Nampara.  She waited only a few minutes after Ross left to decide to follow him.  Demelza knew he wouldn’t expect her to make such a move.  Ross would assume she would sit home and wait for him to return, no matter what time or in what condition.  But she had had enough of watching him fawn and cater to Francis’s widow over the past months.  She was tired of being a second thought in his head and tonight she was going to put an end to it.  Since he wouldn’t listen to her plea not to go to Trenwith, she’d go there herself and see just exactly how he was planning on stopping Elizabeth’s so-called marriage to George Warleggan. 

She wasn’t even sure the letter held the truth as she knew, from recent encounters with the Widow Poldark, that she was more than keen to have Ross back in her life as he came to her beck and call.  All while she stayed home as a dutiful wife, raising his child, trying to make ends meet.  The selling of his shares to ease the situation at Trenwith was the last straw in her being an understanding wife.

Demelza dismounted and took both horses reins and loosely looped them around a bush.  She went to the front door to open it but found it locked.  Stepping back she wondered how Ross got in.  There was no way to climb up like a hero rescuing the damsel from the tower, so there must be another door or window that could be opened. Walking around the gravel path, she noticed a shadow of light falling on the side of the house.  Moving towards it,  she saw that it was another entrance, but that it had been kicked in.  _Nice move Ross. So nothing was going to stop you was it?_ She thought.  She stepped over the broken wood and found herself outside the parlor where she first met the Poldark family all those years ago. There was no light or candles so Demelza used her memory to navigate around the first floor, relying on the little bit of moonlight to guide her way. 

Soon she found herself in the great hall and since there was no sign of her husband or the other Mrs. Poldark on the first floor she assumed he had followed her upstairs.  _To her bedroom no doubt_.  Where else would that woman be at this hour except getting ready for bed and most likely, Ross.  Creeping up the stairs so she didn’t wake the rest of the household, Demelza walked down the corridors, now easier to see because of the dim candlelight.  She passed the room she and Ross had stayed in twice and knew from there where the master bedroom was.  Without counting steps or realizing it she found herself outside the heavy wooden door, where she heard the muted voices of the two people she was looking for. She stood quietly outside with her ear close to the door hoping to hear what they were saying. Demelza could tell from Ross’s clipped tone that he was past the point of reason and was most likely still in that blind rage that he left with earlier. 

Demelza reached for the doorknob, itching to turn it and break up this little reunion of first love but bided her time in the hopes that Ross would say his peace, come to his senses and leave.  The voices became faint and she surmised that they had moved further into the room, a thought Demelza did not like because visions of Ross, “her” and a bed came to her mind.  She heard her husband’s voice starting to rise, reminding Elizabeth of her year-long flirtation that had played with his mind and brought him here tonight.  _So I was right_ , Demelza thought. _She has been taunting and teasing him._ Now she was getting mad. Not at Ross or Elizabeth but at herself for not putting a stop to this madness sooner when she first felt Elizabeth was trying to get Ross back. From before Francis died during the harvest festival to the dinner at Penvenens to her constant need for company, Demelza knew what the underlying motive was.  Maybe not to take Ross away permanently but definitely to keep him on a string, tied to her as she claims “first love rights”. 

The voices got stronger again as Ross confronted Elizabeth about her reason for marrying George. Demelza heard some sort of explanation and a bitter tone from Ross but then she heard something that she knew would set him off.  Elizabeth asked Ross what he could offer her.  There was a pause as she knew Ross couldn’t give her the answer she had hoped for. But Demelza could.  Without ceremony, she turned the knob and entered. She saw them, her husband and the other woman, face to face in a standoff.  Both turned when they heard the door open but neither said a word.  Demelza strode past Ross and went straight to Elizabeth. Pulling her away from Ross, she noticed her dress; a sheer nightshift and opened dressing gown. To Demelza, that was a costume for a seduction.  Unfortunately for Elizabeth, that will not be put to use.

“No, Elizabeth he can’t offer you anything else. But I can,” Demelza said calmly.

With that she lifted her hand and slapped the woman, the crack echoing in the room.  Elizabeth’s head whipped to the side as she grabbed her cheek.  Demelza gave a slight smirk at the woman’s reaction as she turned to Ross who stood, dumbfounded at his wife’s actions.

“Demelza? What are you doing?” Ross finally said.

“Something I should have done years ago but I thought you’d snap out of this obsession you have with her.  I thought wrong and tonight it ends. Full stop,” she said.

The conviction in her voice was clear. This was the end of the Ross & Elizabeth game. 

“It’s not an obsession, Demelza.  You can’t be mad at me for wanting to stop a marriage that I know is wrong,” Ross tried to explain.

She let out a laugh.  “How do you know it’s wrong? From where I’m standing I think Elizabeth and George are a perfect match.  Materialistic, cunning, manipulative and they both don’t seem to like you very much.” 

Demelza didn’t know what came over her but it felt good to finally say what she’d wanted to for the past year.  She looked back over her shoulder and saw Elizabeth had moved to sit on the edge of the bed facing the window, away from them.  Turning back to Ross she went on.

“Ross I know that today has been catastrophic. We lost the mine, we lost a friend and I’m sure you feel you will be losing something else if she marries George. However, if you insist on trying to stop this marriage the only way I believe you would, then you will lose even more,” she said.

He stared at her, not quite getting her meaning.  She was right that they had lost so much today and maybe he felt he didn’t want to lose Elizabeth as well. But wasn’t that their lot in life? To lose and then fight back to win. Over the years, he and Demelza seemed to face these challenges over and over and came through each time just a little bit stronger.   

“What else could I lose Demelza?” He had calmed down and the fury she saw on his face when she entered the room, gave way to something else.

“Me.  You would lose me, Ross.  I will no longer stand by and watch while you pine over her and the past while you forget what we have in the present.”

She thought for a moment about what she wanted to do next and slapping him into reality crossed her mind.  Instead, she walked to face him, grasped his lapels and kissed him.  Ross was caught unaware and held still while his wife’s mouth slanted over his.  With an unbidden moan, he responded, his hands clasping her waist, holding her steady.  For her part, Elizabeth sat on the bed, staring at the scene before her, jealous of the passion that Demelza roused in Ross which made him react so.  She turned her head away and rubbed her cheek again.

Ross and Demelza, oblivious to their surroundings or the person in the room with them, pulled away from each other, their breath short, their eyes glazed.  Ross searched his wife’s face, wondering what had gotten into her to make her behave this way.  He knew Demelza to be a passionate woman who matched him in fervor when it came to their lovemaking. Yet this was something else. Something desperate was in that kiss which Ross equated to the same emotions he had felt that drove him to Trenwith in the first place. It was the fear of losing something precious that caused them both to act in impulsive ways.  In spite of this, Demelza’s actions would not result in others being hurt. In fact, they probably prevented an event that would have had repercussions that would have affected all the occupants in this bedroom for a long time to come. He realized that now and was grateful, once again, for his wife’s common sense.

“Demelza, I….” He started to speak but was halted by her finger on his lips.

“Ross, for all the years I’ve known you starting when you were my master before you were my husband, I admired that you were not like other men.  You had a sense of honor and nobility that was not related to birth but character.  When you married me, despite the circumstances and the unusual way we came together, I was so proud.  I know what you put up with in making that decision and how it turned some people against you.  I also knew that I was fighting an ideal and possibly would never have your love. At least not in the way that I loved you and I accepted that.  But now, after all these years and all we’ve gone through, I’m not content to take second place.  I know that you love me; you’ve shown me your feelings so many times and in so many ways.  What you _are_ afraid of is to love me fully. For whatever reason, you have kept one small piece of your heart separated from the whole. And that piece is hers.” 

Demelza turned to glance at Elizabeth who was now watching and listening intently to this conversation playing out in front of her. Without any malice, she spoke to Elizabeth.

“I know that you have been unhappy since I came into Ross’s life and I’m sorry for that.  I’m not sorry for loving him or for the way we married.  I also know that you never thought I was good enough for him and never thought our marriage would last.  I saw how you tried to work doubt into Ross’s head by your actions and words and I didn’t say anything because I felt it wasn’t my place. And because I loved Ross enough to leave it alone.   I knew that he still felt some affection for you because of your past, but again that doesn’t mean that you have the right to flaunt that as a way to get Ross back into your fold.  He doesn’t belong to you Elizabeth and I believe he never did. Nor do I think you ever really loved him. Not a love that can withstand setbacks, failure, and tragedy.  He was someone you wanted and lost and wanted to prove you could get back again.  A prize if you will.  Almost as how George sees you, I’m sure.  Yet, George has proposed—so marry him.  He can give you everything you want and need.  And since I believe that neither of you actually know what love is, I think you’ll be happy together,” she finished and waited for the brunette to absorb what she had said. 

In her peripheral vision, she saw Ross’s reflection in the dressing table mirror and caught his smile.  She let out a breath of relief for she was sure he would be angry at speaking to Elizabeth like she did.  Demelza took a step towards the bed where Elizabeth sat and saw her shrink away.

“Elizabeth, I have no intention of coming here again so I’m going to say this once and for all. Ross is not your husband and never will be.  So, I suggest you make peace with your lot in life or marry George and give Geoffrey Charles a better life.  Who knows? You might be exceedingly happy.” 

Demelza turned and walked back towards Ross who took her face in his hands and kissed her soundly.  It reminded her of their kiss many years ago walking back from the pilchard arrival.  Then it was the first time she felt his love on a pure and genuine plain. Now it was a reminder of that love.

“Ross…”

He held up his finger to her lips to silence her while he spoke.

“Dearest Demelza.  I don’t know what I did to deserve you or your wisdom.  For surely while you are not as schooled as some---you have more logic than anyone else I know.  And as I once said, sometimes I don’t see what’s right in front of me.  If my sense of obligation to Francis’s memory has superseded my devotion to you—or at least made it appear so, then I am sorry. For my love for you is far and away the foremost emotion I feel.  You and Jeremy are the most important things in my life. I have never intentionally meant to make you feel less worthy to anyone.  Francis was right in what he said to you that day he died.  I was smart when I married you and I do love you.  Solely.  No part of my heart belongs to anyone else.  Except perhaps Julia who will always be there as I’m sure she is in yours as well. So thank you, my love.  For taking matters into your own hands tonight and saving us all from whatever I would have done.  Let’s go home.”

With that, he walked past Demelza to stand near Elizabeth.

“I’m not happy about this marriage because I do not like George nor do I trust him and I believe I have reason to feel this way. However, this is not my life. This is yours and you must do what you need for your best interest and Geoffrey Charles.  I will always consider you an old friend and part of my past but you have no part of my life now Elizabeth or my future.  I will always care for Geoffrey Charles as he is Francis’s son but that is where my duty ends.”

With a final nod to Elizabeth, Ross returned to Demelza’s side and taking her hand led her out of the room without a backward glance.  Closing the door he steered her down the hallway again and back through the darkened house out into the moonlit night.  He saw their horses tied together and looking down at Demelza smiled at her. 

“So my love you got your way after all,” Ross said. There was no consternation in his voice.  If anything Demelza felt relief coming from him.

“Finally. After all these years Ross, it took you almost doing something unthinkable to get you to admit your true feelings for me,” she said with a hint of sadness.

“No Demelza.  It took this night to make _you_ believe what I know I’ve felt for a long time.  My mistake was in not sharing with you that I knew what Elizabeth was doing.  I just didn’t give it much attention because it meant nothing to me. After Francis died I was fulfilling my obligation to him, perhaps to ease some guilt as well for dragging into this mine venture.  It had nothing to do with any long buried devotion to her,” Ross said.

Demelza looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with moisture.  It was the first time in many years that Ross spoke to her with such an open heart.

“Ross I admit was I was beginning to doubt that you loved me. Or that because all that seems to follows us is strife and hardship, you might see a life with Elizabeth here, at Trenwith, more to your liking.”

Her voice was no louder than a whisper as she stared at him.  He saw the sincerity in her face and realized she truly thought he would leave her and their life for this.

“My love, it’s because of all we have gone through that I know there is no one else for me but you,” he said. 

Then bending down he murmured in her ear, “And when I get you home I will show you exactly how much.”

Demelza felt a familiar stirring and looked into Ross’s eyes to see if he was feeling the same thing. 

“Aren’t you exhausted from the day?  It’s been so stressful I think we should go home and get some rest,” she said as she walked towards the horses to untie and bring them round.

“A little but I’m more frustrated and angry about the day, Demelza.  I want to be with you,” he said softly as he took Darkie’s reins from her. “I need to be with you.”  He paused and then said. “I just _need_ you.”

Demelza raised her hand to his face and caressed his cheek, the scar almost invisible now. Ross put his hands on his wife’s waist and lifted her into the saddle of his horse.

“Ross what are you doing?  I have my own horse” she asked.

“I want you to ride with me.  Like we used to. Like when I first fell in love with you,” he said as he swung up behind her.   

Once he was sure she was settled, he put his hand to her chin and turning it towards him, kissed her, like the old days; soft and full of promise.

“Demelza, with the mine and Ted we are once again faced with fighting back from the depths.  I can’t do this without you.” 

He took the reins of her horse to pull it along to follow as Demelza held the reins of his.  They rode in silence out of the gate of Trenwith and said nothing until they were almost home, Ross speaking first.

“Demelza?  If you don’t know already, I am thankful for coming here tonight.  Not for what you did to Elizabeth necessarily but for fighting for us.  You have more strength than I.  If anyone keeps the Poldark family together, it’s you.”

She said nothing and did not even turn to look at him as he spoke because she couldn’t. She knew that the tears that were at bay before were now coming without hesitation.  Demelza was surprised Ross put such importance on this. It was really quite simple.

“Ross, I do what needs to be done for our family out of love.  Nothing more,” she said, her voice cracking. 

“Oh but it’s so much more, my love.  It’s everything.”

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This one came to me after hearing about the possibility of more Ross and Elizabeth nonsense in S3. I'm over her.  
> And this Ragemelza moment is brought to you courtesy of BFI/RT panel today.
> 
> This one is for @ amandarprescott on Twitter


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